Milwaukee Post
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/994757
June 15, 2018 • Milwaukee County Post • 9 Putting their lives on the line shouldn't be a cliché when it comes to officers To the editor: I'm both shocked and saddened by the tragic news of a Milwaukee police officer killed in the line of duty. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family of Charles Irvine, Jr. who at only 23 years old was killed upholding his oath to serve and pro- tect his community. Meantime, his 36-year- old partner fights for his life from a hospi- tal bed, as of this writing. I hope and pray he recovers. As the father of a Milwaukee Police Department officer, a situation like this hits home to my family, perhaps more than most. The challenges that officers face are monumental, especially in this day and age. Don't just take my word for it. At the hospital following the crash, an officer told me very candidly, "we're the ones who hold this city together and yet we're the ones who get criticized the most." The officer's words were both true and, unfortunately, incredibly ironic. At a time when so many people are quick to second-guess or even ridicule police actions, we are hit with a tragedy like this. My wish is this incident, at the very least, helps people understand the danger that police officers face and service they provide, a service that all too often goes thankless. Politicians like me often say "officers put their lives on the line on a daily basis." It's said so often it almost becomes empty words, a cliché. I can guarantee you it was- n't a cliché that night at the hospital. Again, I ask the citizens of Milwaukee, who are so inclined, to pray for the repose of the soul of Officer Irving. A man who put on his uniform, strapped on his gun and went to work to serve the rest of us — fully anticipating to go back home to his family and his loved ones at the end of his shift. Only this time he went home to God. Bob Donovan 8th District alderman Milwaukee Sterling Brown's rookie mistake To the editor: Sterling Brown is a rookie. That means he is in the beginning stage of his career. Maybe it's time for some of the older, more aware players to take him aside and teach him how to act like a grown-up — teach him not to walk up to a policeman and stick your face in his face. When a police- man says to take your hands out of your pockets, you do it. I am 75 and I learned a long time ago you don't lip off to a policeman. Be very hum- ble and it will go a long way in keeping you out of trouble. I think Sterling Brown owes the police who were there that night an apology, and I think he has a little bit of growing up to do. He needs to learn to act like a grown-up in the public and that he doesn't run every- thing. Dennis Whalen Milwaukee OPINION LETTERS TO THE EDITOR By OWEN B. ROBINSON When I was in business school during the previous millennium, I remember sitting in a class listening to a professor drone on about the unemployment rate, wage pres- sures, labor participation and the notion of full employment. Full employment is when everyone who is willing and able to work is employed. Full employment does not mean that the unemployment rate is 0 percent. An economy is traditionally considered to be at full employment when the unemployment rate is between 4 percent and 6 percent because there will always be a percentage of people transitioning between jobs and times when workers' skills do not match the jobs available. By any account, the U.S. and Wisconsin, and especially in West Bend, are in a state of full employment. The most recent employment reports indicate that the U.S. has an unemployment rate of 3.8 percent. Wisconsin is beating the rest of the nation by a full point with an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent. West Bend has an astonish- ing unemployment rate of 2.3 percent. On the micro-level, the evidence of hyper- employment is overwhelming. A short walk around West Bend will find a "help wanted" sign at almost every business. Several busi- nesses have large signs advertising starting wages for entry-level jobs at $10, $15 or more per hour — and those businesses are strug- gling to find good employees. At the macro level, a Bureau of Labor Statistics report says that while 223,000 jobs were created in May, the number of unem- ployed persons dropped by 6.1 million peo- ple. That means that nearly 6 million people entered the national workforce to fill jobs that were already open. This has the labor par- ticipation rate — the total number of Americans employed — increasing to 62.7 per- cent. That still is not as high as it once was, but it is finally steadily increasing after being in steady decline since it peaked in early 2000. There really is no longer any excuse for every able-bodied adult to get a job. Anyone with a pulse and a modicum of work ethic can, and should, get a job. This is an economic truth that policy makers should bear in mind when debating things like welfare and education. While high unemployment creates a litany of societal and economic problems, full employment presents a set of problems. They are better problems, but problems nonetheless. First and foremost, American businesses are struggling to attract and keep good employees. In particular, entry- level jobs and skilled jobs are difficult to fill. There are still plenty of lawyers and middle-managers out there, but finding a good roofer or hotel front desk clerk has become a challenge. The inability to find good workers has undoubtedly retarded our nation's potential economic growth. The inability of some businesses to find good workers is partially their own fault. Fearful of the future, too many American businesses have been slow to increase wages to attract workers off of the econom- ic sidelines and into jobs. We are finally see- ing some significant wage increases in fits and starts. Some employers and industries are offering substantial wage increases to attract workers. While overall private-sector wages have increased between 2.5 percent and 2.9 per- cent since last year, wages for construction workers are growing at 3.8 percent — and that does not include the ample amount of overtime pay available to willing workers. Residential construction workers' wages are growing at an even faster 5 percent. According to the National Federation of Independent Business, 35 percent of small- business owners reported increasing wages to attract and retain employees. And some of America's largest employers like Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, Publix, Tyson Foods and many more have increased wages. Increasing wages, which always lag in a growing economy, are finally here, but that will drive another economic metric — infla- tion. As wages increase, the cost of goods and services will increase to pay for them. While rampant inflation destroys economies, moderate inflation in a growing economy is quite healthy. Thanks to sus- tained economic growth since President Ronald Reagan was in office and the Federal Reserve's almost irrational fear of inflation for the past decade, Americans have not experienced significant inflation in a generation. Barring more unnatural manipulation by the Federal Reserve, the American economy should expect higher inflation over the next economic cycle as the value of the dollar reconciles with the value of labor. It was only a few short years ago when President Barack Obama and Governor Jim Doyle were trying to convince us that America's best economic days were behind us and we needed to adjust to the new nor- mal of a European-style economy. Thankfully, they were wrong. America's, Wisconsin's and West Bend's economies are booming and all of us are seeing the bene- fits. (Owen B. Robinson is a West Bend resident whose column appears occasionally in The Milwaukee County Post. He can be reached at owen@bootsandsabers.com.) Boom! goes the economy — nationally, in state, locally Robinson The inability of some businesses to find good workers is partially their own fault. Fearful of the future, too many American businesses have been slow to increase wages to attract workers off of the economic sidelines and into jobs.We are finally seeing some significant wage increases in fits and starts.